Musical Theater
- Barnum London production opened at the London Palladium on June 11 and ran for 655 performances
- Bring Back Birdie Broadway production
- Cats (Andrew Lloyd Webber) – London production opened at the New London Theatre on May 11 and ran for 8949 performances
- Dreamgirls Broadway production opened on December 20 at the Imperial Theatre and ran for 1522 performances
- March of the Falsettoes off-Broadway production
- Merrily We Roll Along – Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 16 and ran for 16 performances
- The Pirates of Penzance Broadway revival
- Song and Dance London production
- Woman of the Year Broadway production opened at the Palace Theatre on March 29 and ran for 770 performances
Read more about this topic: 1981 In Music
Famous quotes containing the words musical and/or theater:
“Sometimes a musical phrase would perfectly sum up
The mood of a moment. One of those lovelorn sonatas
For wind instruments was riding past on a solemn white horse.
Everybody wondered who the new arrival was.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“I want to give the audience a hint of a scene. No more than that. Give them too much and they won’t contribute anything themselves. Give them just a suggestion and you get them working with you. That’s what gives the theater meaning: when it becomes a social act.”
—Orson Welles (1915–1984)